February 28, 2023
A Purdue University research team has developed a new time-saving assay to detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef. Development of the assay was led by Bruce Applegate, Ph.D., Professor of Food Science at Purdue. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has a “zero tolerance” policy for E. coli O157:H7, meaning that if a single cell is detected in a standard 325-gram or 11.4-ounce sample of ground beef, the entire batch is flagged as unfit for consumption. However, detecting pathogens at such low concentrations requires enrichment. The new assay developed by Dr. Applegate and his team saves time, as it is designed so that sample enrichment and pathogen detection both occur during the 15 hours or more needed to ship samples from a production facility to an FSIS testing laboratory. This enables product to be released onto the market more quickly, as the assay will provide a positive or negative result by the time the product is received by FSIS.
Researchers Develop Time-Saving Assay for E. coli O157:H7 in Beef
February 27, 2023
The fight against human trafficking has a David and Goliath aspect to it. Trafficking rings are a global scourge with an estimated 25 million victims and $150 billion in annual profits. Agencies and NGOs tasked with stopping the traffickers, however, are typically small and under-resourced. Recently, a technological tool has come along to help close this gap: machine learning (ML) algorithms. Primed with enough relevant data, these algorithms can find hidden clues to how traffickers operate and what they are likely to do in the future. In principle, anti-trafficking agencies can use ML predictions to direct their scant resources to the areas of greatest risk. Abhishek Ray, an assistant professor in the Information Systems and Operations Management area at the George Mason University School of Business, has added his expertise to this effort. With collaborators Viplove Arora (post-doc researcher at SISSA, Italy), Kayse Maass (of Northeastern University) and Mario Ventresca (of Purdue University), Ray developed a model that reduces the guesswork of implementing ML predictions.
How machine learning improvements are helping to fight human trafficking
February 25, 2023
As cities try to encourage people to switch from driving to greener forms of transportation, humble sidewalks and crosswalks play an important role. Walking, after all, is the original carbon-free transportation. But in some cases, city officials lack money to invest in sidewalks or haven’t studied their pedestrian infrastructure to the same extent as streets and roads. Gathering data on sidewalks and crosswalks has historically been a labor-intensive job — taking months, in some cases — but transportation researchers are increasingly looking at ways for satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to speed the work. Satish Ukkusuri, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue University, and Rajat Verma, a graduate researcher, recently developed a model to rapidly identify crosswalks in a city. They talked to The Washington Post about their research and how examining crosswalks could help urban leaders create more complete networks for pedestrians.
These researchers use satellite photos, AI to map crosswalks and fill gaps
February 23, 2023
A team of Purdue University scientists led by Shihuan Kuang has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to define the role of lipid droplets in muscle stem cell function, a study with implications in both humans and livestock. “Lipid droplets are important as a regulatory component of the stem cell. The content of lipid droplets makes the stem cell function better or worse,” said Kuang, Cancer Center Chair in Stem Cell Biology and a professor of animal sciences in Purdue’s College of Agriculture.
National Institutes of Health grant funds interdisciplinary stem cell research
February 22, 2023
Interstates across the country boast an innovative concrete technology that promises to save American travelers time and money. This “smart concrete” can communicate with engineers about its strength, weakness and need for repair — making road repair more efficient and preventing unnecessary shutdowns. Developed at Purdue University, the innovation is earning attention and has now been named one of the Next Big Things in Tech by Fast Company magazine. Chosen from a pool of nearly 1,400 applicants, 124 final projects across 21 categories were selected for already making an impact on a real-world problem while also showing promise to make a greater impact in the years to come. Among large corporations and small startups, Purdue is the only university represented on the list. Purdue shares the Transportation stage with organizations like ClearFlame Engine Technologies, which enables active heavy trucks to shift away from diesel fuel, and Walmart-backed DroneUp, a leader in aerial drone delivery. Developed by Luna Lu, the American Concrete Pavement Association Professor of Civil Engineering in Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering, smart concrete works via sensors embedded into the pour during construction. The “smart” factor involves telling engineers, via smartphone app, when the concrete has reached maximum strength after construction or when it is beginning to break down.
February 17, 2023
Purdue University plans to establish an aquaponics facility and biorefinery, following a $10 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture.
February 17, 2023
The Purdue Women’s Global Health Institute (WGHI) has awarded six women’s health research grants, including one for a pair of scholars in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Basic Medical Sciences. The Purdue research projects are receiving grants of $15,000 each. The WGHI presents annual awards to support research proposals of outstanding scientific merit that address translational and basic research in women’s health. “Maximizing Peak Bone Mass: Interactions Among Genetics and Mechanical Loading,” is the name of the funded project proposed by Dr. Russell Main, associate professor of basic medical sciences, who is the lead principal investigator, and Dr. Marxa Figueiredo, associate professor of basic medical sciences.
PVM Scholars Receive Women’s Global Health Institute Research Grant
February 15, 2023
As your Indiana lawmakers are putting together the state’s budget for the next two years, several ag groups, including Indiana Farm Bureau, are pushing for additional funding for the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University. “Indiana is so rich in agriculture that the lab plays a very critical role in maintaining and helping grow agriculture in our state,” says Dr. Kenitra Hendrix, Director of the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue’s campus—or ADDL, for short.
Purdue’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory Pushing for Additional State Funding
February 13, 2023
Research funded by the Center for Produce Safety is looking for a cost-effective method to detect Cyclospora in irrigation water, including a paper-based in-field water test. The project seeks to use short strands of synthesized DNA, or aptamers, to bind to the target of interest — in this case, Cyclospora’s transmission stage. Cyclospora cayetanensis is a protozoan parasite, that is nearly impossible to culture in the laboratory and requires complicated microscopy for detection in samples. Lia Stanciu, Ph.D., with Purdue University, lead researcher on the project said, “We were able to identify certain proteins on the cell membrane of Cyclospora that are unique only to Cyclospora and to which we can bind some DNA sequences.”
Project looks for cost-effective ways to monitor Cyclospora in agricultural water
February 11, 2023
Bumsoo Han's lab investigates how cancer cells behave in a simulated biological environment with a photo from Purdue University. Researchers at Purdue University have reverse-engineered a cellular signal processing algorithm and used it as a logic gate — a simple computer — to understand what drives certain cells to migrate.
To Unravel the Secret of Their Movement, Cancer Cells Turned Into Logic Gates
